using the right wood
I have a question, I have been trying to get fire from the bow driil for one year. It occured to me when I was talking to my grandfather that I might be using the wrong wood like hard wood on hard...
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Can someone tell me if my set is producing smoke and black coffee ground like powder do I just need to keep trying? I always have made smoke but never gotten an ember.
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If your getting smoke and powder seems to me u need to add some very combustable stuff down by your tip to catch it a little more. fine shredded cedar bark.. or shredded birch bark etc....you have the...
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I made my first bow drill over the weekend and used poplar for everything but the top block(oak). Tried it on saturday and no luck. Made some changes to the bow and drill and was able to get a small...
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Thanks for the replies I will keep trying. I will also make small changes to the set up. I am using birch for both and have another board made from white pine root.
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one or 2 tips from me....i am old and tend to forget stuff, but maybe this happens to others...anyway when I get a piece of wood to use for either hearth or spindle I mark on the wood what it is when...
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I had not really thought of matching spindles to wood, although if i was keeping a set i might in the long run. Thoretically should you not be able to use any type of wood (in the boreal forest, i...
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From personal experience, I have found that some woods just don't work for friction fire making in any combination with other woods or same woods. Some notable ones that I have played with and never...
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Hey guys! This is my first post on this marvellous forum. I feel sharing experiences with you guys will be just great. For the last 10 months, my favorite wood has been balsam fir. I cut a dead branch...
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This was told to me years before I ever attempted my first friction fire: "Start with a fire. What woods light the most easily- make the best kindling. From there take away any that are resinous. They...
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Is the quality of the "char" or powder produced a good clue for determining if you have a good combo of wood for spindle and hearth? For instance if the char is very fine and powder-like, isn't that...
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Tom, That is right. Coarse, chunky powder indicates that you have a bad match and that one piece of wood is simply wearing the other one away. A fine powder indicates that the woods are well matched...
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That's good to know, because I can experiment all I want and have a good idea when I've found a good match. Thanks Dan. Tom
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Tom, What TreeStump says, "Every wood has its ideal pressure" is correct. Success in getting a coal with marginal materials can sometimes be gotten by these steps: 1) drilling hard enough to get...
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skillseeker, try messing around with different speeds and pressure. Every wood needs something different. Willow is definitely a nice easy wood to start with; my dad recently cut a bunch of branches...
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Im no expert on this but the thing with hardwood board and softwood drill is a myth, from experiance it makes no difference. What a lot of people do when they get smoke is either slow down or ease up...
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I find NewWorldViking's question of 5/15/2008 fascinating: "Thoretically should you not be able to use any type of wood ... and start a coal? Friction is friction yes?" The answer may indeed be that...
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On recent trip to a wooded area I picked up a few samples of soft woods for baseboards and spindles. Some worked like a dream. Only one failed for me. It is impossible for me to name the type of wood,...
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